DC Open: Rublev Resets After Rain Showers, Advances In Washington

Andrey Rublev, Washington
Andrey Rublev (photo: Ben Solomon/Mubadala Citi DC Open)

WASHINGTON, August 1, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

World No. 8 Andrey Rublev of Russia didn’t let a two-hour and 45-minute rain interruption dampen his enthusiasm at the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Wednesday, as the No. 1 men’s seed in the ATP/WTA 500-series combined event finally got to play his first match in the week-long event.

Rublev faced 20-year-old Luca Van Assche of France, who tasted an upset early after taking the opening set from the mercurial Russian. However, the Muscovite, a two-time semifinalist in Washington, in 2018 and 2022 – and playing in his first hard-court event since the Miami Open last March – reset during the downpour that fell over the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park.

When Rublev returned to Stadium Court, he raised the level of his game – and it was noticeable to everyone, including fans and certainly to Van Assche. Rublev took control of the second-round match and won it, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in an hour and 42 minutes. The victory improved his win-loss record against Frenchmen on hard courts since the start of the 2022 season to 15-1, losing only to Ugo Humbert in the second round at Beijing last year.

“I was playing much better after I came back from the rain. Before the rain, I could not put more than two balls [in]. I was missing all over the place,” the 26-year-old Rublev said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “I was even laughing inside of myself because it was something unreal. I never remember myself missing that much. Literally I could not put two balls inside the court. I was a bit shocked.

“Somehow, because of this pause because of the rain, I was able to calm down, to think a bit. ‘Okay, let’s try maybe different thinking.’ And in the end, it worked.”

Against the 118th-ranked Van Assche, Rublev was solid during his service games, striking 15 aces, hitting 31 winners and outpointing his opponent 85-74. The victory advanced Rublev into Thursday’s round of 16 against another Frenchman,  No. 16 seed Arthur Rinderknech, who advanced by retirement over No. 73 Juncheng Shang of China, after just five games due to lower back pain.

Shelton, Sabalenka win late-night openers

World No. 14 and second seed Ben Shelton of the United States defeated 152nd-ranked Radu Albot of Moldova, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, in two hours and 17 minutes. The match ended well past 2 a.m. local time due to an earlier rain delay, which pushed back the start of the evening session.

Shelton, the highest-ranked American in the draw, came into this week looking to become the first American man to lift the DC Open title since Andy Roddick in 2007. He also hoped to record first win in Washington after losing in the second round in last year’s event.

The former NCAA singles champion fired 12 aces and hit 40 winners overall en route to earning his 24th win of the season. Next Shelton will face No. 13 seed Brandon Nakashima of the United States Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, earlier on Stadium Court, World No. 3 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won her opening match by defeating 78th-ranked qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, in two hours and 45 minutes to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round. It was Sabalenka’s first match since June 22, when she retired from a quarterfinal match on grass in Berlin.

Around the Mubadala Citi DC Open

• No. 15 seed Alex Michelsen of the United States won his Washington debut against 125th-ranked Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci, 6-3, 7-6 (1), in an hour and 37 minutes on Stadium Court. The 19-year-old Michelsen, ranked 60th, became the youngest American man to reach the round of 16 in Washington since Donald Young in 2008. The loss ended the delightful run of Bellucci, who qualified for his first ATP 500 main draw and won his first-round match on Monday over Mackenzie McDonald of the United States.

Other seeds moving into the round of 16 include: No. 8 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain, who defeated 192nd-ranked American qualifier Mitchell Krueger, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4; No. 9 seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France, who defeated No. 71 Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), behind 25 service aces, and No. 10 seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy, who eliminated No. 100 David Goffin of Belgium, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Meanwhile, there were a trio of seeds – No. 3 Karen Khachanov of Russia, No. 11 Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain and No. 14 Aleksandar Vukic of Australia – who were eliminated in the second round on Wednesday.

World No. 21 Khachanov was upset by 175th-ranked qualifier Seongchan Hong of South Korea, 6-2, 6-4. No. 53 Carballes Baena lost to No. 82 Aleksandar Kovacevic of the United States, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), and No. 85 Vukic fell to 91st-ranked Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

• Among the women’s second-round winners advancing to the quarterfinals were: American qualifier Amanda Anisimova, who upset No. 7 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-4, in two hours and two minutes on Stadium Court. The 176th-ranked Anisimova struck 17 aces and outpointed the two-time Washington finalist 97-79 en route to her third career victory over the 33rd-ranked Russian.

Also, 89th-ranked British wild card Emma Raducanu advanced to the Washington last eight for the second time with a solid 7-6 (6), 6-2 win over No. 51 Peyton Stearns of the United States in two hours on John Harris Court for her 16th victory of the season.

Finally, No. 49 Caroline Dolehide of the United States rallied to upset World  No. 12 and second seed Daria Kasatkina of Russia, 2-6, 7-5, 6-0, in two hours and 12 minutes on John Harris Court.

Wednesday’s ATP results

Wednesday’s WTA results

Thursday’s order of play

By the numbers

Former World No. 17 Reilly Opelka of the United States, now ranked 371st following a nearly two-year layoff due to injury, lost to No. 7 seed Jordan Thompson of Australia, 6-4, 6-3, in just their second tour-level meeting Wednesday night on the Grandstand. It lasted an all-too-brief 80 minutes, but Opelka was done in by 20 unforced errors and four breaks off his serve. Thompson outpointed Opelka 63-49.

Opelka came into the second-round match looking for his first Top 50 win on hard courts since defeating No. 13 Denis Shapovalov at Indian Wells in 2022. Meanwhile, Thompson entered play in Washington after reaching his fourth ATP Tour final in Atlanta last week, before losing to Yoshihito Nishioka in three sets.

“Quotable …”

“No, pretty rare. I guess it’s a good position for us to be in. It means we’ve got a lot of players in the top hundred, a lot of players competing for good spots.

“I’d say the guys, my opponents, are a little bit more match hardened than me, probably more ready for the tournament.

“Yeah, it’s always tricky playing a countryman, someone you know well and grew up playing against. But it’s part of tennis. You see the same faces week in, week out. You’re bound to draw the same guys. That’s just how it goes sometimes.

“Yeah, it just shows what a good position Australian tennis is in to have so many guys there.”

— Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia, from his post-match news conference, on the rarity of playing back-to-back matches in a tournament against fellow Australians Max Purcell and Aleksandar Vukic. After Kokkinakis defeated Purcell, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3, in the first round on Tuesday, he took out Vukic, 6-4, 7-6 (4), Wednesday afternoon to advance against No. 4 seed Sebastian Korda of the United States.

 

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